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BINTUMANI FORUM

After all, if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hard-working white middle class and undeserving minorities, then workers of all shades will be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves - Barack Obama

High school rivalry has always been an indelible aspect of the growth process of education in Salone. Rivalries among Prince of Wales, Grammar School, St. Edwards and Albert Academy or those between Annie Walsh, St. Joseph’s Convent and Freetown Secondary School for Girls in the Western Area have always been an important aspect of high school existence in that part of Salone.

In the East, historically, Holy Trinity Secondary School has been a top rival to the Government Secondary School, Kenema, popularly known as K-School. And in the North, St. Francis Secondary School, Makeni, has always battled with the Government Secondary School, Magburaka for Northern supremacy.

Yet none of the forgoing rivalries compare in intensity and magnitude with that which has always prevailed between Bo School and CKC in Bo. While the basis of this antagonism may have been the desire for academic supremacy, dominance in sports also has accounted for a big share of the historic tug-of-war between these two legendary schools.

Indeed, a soccer clash between Bo School and CKC in the 1960s and 1970s was akin to a clash between Manchester United and Arsenal in England.While Bo School had a slight edge in soccer, CKC dominated in volley ball.And in track and field, both schools fought hard to cancel each other out on a yearly basis.

Fast forward to the last decade. We have seen a spillover of the Bo School-CKC duel into the realm of national politics, especially SLPP presidential politics. The hallmark of this development has been the continuing tussle between Brigadier Julius Maada Bio (Bo School) and Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella (CKC).Residents of Bo have labeled this tussle the OBBA – COBA combat.OBBA is the association of Bo School alumni and COBA, the association CKC alumni.Consequently, while many OBBA members have line up behind JMB, COBA members have come out in large numbers for KKY, a former senior prefect of CKC.

Yours truly attended Bo School and has been approached to support JMB. But yours truly ‘suck APC na bobby ‘.Besides, yours truly cannot support a candidate for the presidency solely based on high school affinity.There must be other compelling factors at play for yours truly to line up behind a candidate.Since Sierra Leone is on the brim of economic collapse, only a president with good character and an incredible vision would be able to reverse this unfortunate situation.Therefore, yours truly will continue to monitor the political landscape for the emergence of an astute and visionary leader.

Good memories. Thanks Naimbana. The rivalry also extended to the area of dating. We chased the Bo School boys away from our QRS girls while getting their girls at St. Andrews (UCC). I was in class with Sengbe Konouwah's younger brother. Good memories, indeed.

In my day the notable rivalries were between the Bo School and the Grammar School in Cricket; and between the Bo School and the Prince of Wales in soccer. There were no political implications in such rivalry. Instead they were intended to advance brotherhood between young men from the Colony and those from the protectorate. Here is hoping that inter-scholastic competition will be restored to those unifying values. As far as the presidential sweepstakes are concerned, here is also hoping that the majority of voters will opt for competence over pedigree of any kind.

Randall it is clear that Naimbana, Knice and Sengbe are guys who attended schools in Salone during the pre-independence era. Most of the rivalries Naimbana highlighted were not prominent during my time. Like in the east end of Freetown in football it used to be between Ahmadiyya and MBHS or Muslim Congress or Independence memorial and in the west it used to be between Collegiate and Services or Edwards. During intersec it used to be between Ahmadiyya from the east and either POW or Edwards from the west or AA in the central.We should also not forget the bitter football rivalry between Brotherhood and AA. In the GCE too it used to be Ahmadiyya versus the rest! In girls' volley ball and netball it used to be between Ahmadiyya and the rest also.

Now I can see why most forumites do not have the faintest idea about Ahmadiyya's standing among the top schools in Sierra Leone. I believe most of these guys had graduated from high school even before Ahmadiyya was founded in 1964. It is a kind of generation gap and Ahmadiyya's prominence was the result of a paradigm shift in administration.

My question to Knice was a tongue in the cheek question. I hope he understands that. Sengbe could not have been in Bo School in the pre-Independence era. His elder brother who is now a paramount chief entered Bo School way after Independence. Further, the Bo School-CKC rivalry that Naimbana discussed exists even today. I know this for sure because I attended Bo School, form 1 to 5 and CKC form 6.

The bitter rivalry between CKC and Bo School indeed transcended all barriers and soccer was the most intense. In our days, when Bo school and CKC clashed , it was like Mighty Blackpool Vs. East End Lions or Manchester United Vs. Liverpool

We had a good team in those days : Charles Margai was our goalkeeper ( Before I attended , though. Three years before I did ). I knew that CKC was my destination so I was involved in the fray even while I was in primary school. Belewa , not Berewa , was our stopper back. We had Patrick Pabai, Amin Hudrudge, Augustine Samura, Salami Kamara, Benedict Lansana etc.

Bo School had even bigger names like Marconi Turay in goal, Borbor Mansaray in the defence, Mark Ansumana, Dizzo, Salia Macarthy , etc. Soccer was more thrilling in those days because teams did not park the bus and it was all-out attacking football, with lots of goalmouth action.

We used to beat them before I went there but during my days, they always defeated us and it was very painful. Some of us would not eat that evening in frustration after our defeat.

Father Lambe would suspend or expel some students the next morning for engaging in the stone-throwing and vandalism that marked the end of the match.

We avenged when the GCE O and A level results came out in September because we always beat them, especially in Science.

They controlled the Harford Girls during the annual Southern Province Athletics competitions and our guys controlled the QRS girls. It was such fun. I wish the reincarnation was true and life had a re-run.

So @Kabs Kanu, as a CKC man are you sure I can't win you over to the KKY camp?

I remember the intersec days (inter secondary school athletics) in the 80's. At Academy we had Dove Edwin in the 100m and if I remember correctly, POW had the Thompson twins. I seem to remember Ahmadiyya too had a brilliant sprinter but I cant recall his name.

Great days.

It's a shame we have allowed education and sports to fall so far back in our list of national priorities.

OK Randall I got your drift but the fact remains most of these guys knew very little about the genuine achievements of Ahmadiyya Kissy in sports and academics. Most people know only about the negative propaganda and calumny spread by the christian schools who were worried that their relevance as well as their prominence and dominance were at stake. They perceived the rising influence of Ahmadiyya Kissy during the eighties as a threat and cooked up the leakage stories to mitigate or eliminate such threat.

When I was in my primary school age I used to hear about POW, Edwards,CKC, Bo School and AA with regards to achievements and I was even planning to choose one of them in the selective entrance when my parents thought I should know more about my religion since I never went to any madrassah. We used to refer to CKC as Cow Kaka nar Corner.

DMK, Ahmadiyya used to have Sahr Kendoh from either Ahmadiyya Bo or Bo School, Sanpha aka Doctor ,Takenneh, Umaru Kabia and the twins Alhassan and Alusine from MBHS. The intersec competition used to be between Akabi Davies and the Twins of POW (whose father was a police commissioner) versus Umaru Kabia and the Twins of Ahmadiyya Kissy. The Ahmadiyya football team used to consist of Koffi Badu of Ports, Alhaji Rashid, Short Abu, Abu Dyfan, Bo School of Lions , Foday Bodywork and the Sama bros. SO the rivalry in the east was between Ahmadiyya with that formidable squad and MBHS with Dyfan of lions and Unisa of Republicans. Anytime Ahmadiyya qualifies for the final which was usually against a christian school it used to be a battle of prestige between christian schools and muslim schools, eastern schools versus western schools, 19th century schools versus 20th century schools and co-educational versus single-sex schools. The drawbacks of Ahmadiyya used to be less support because of the less number of muslim schools and eastern secondary schools,defence of the female students from unruly bullies from the christian schools and influence at the ministry of education where biased referees were appointed to officiate such finals. Nevertheless, Ahmadiyya used to hold its own and never let eastern schools or muslim schools down.

"The Ahmadiyya football team used to consist of Koffi Badu of Ports, Alhaji Rashid, Short Abu, Abu Dyfan, Bo School of Lions , Foday Bodywork and the Sama bros." Bimbola

Bimbola,

Point of correction. Bo School (Alusine) of East End Lions and Foday Body Work did not attend school in Freetown. Bo School attended the Magburaka Boys Secondary School and Bo School. He was named Bo School because throughout his elementary school days, his dream was to attend Bo School. A great footballer he was.

Foday Body Work, perhaps the greatest footballer that never played for the Leone Stars, started his education in Makeni and ended up at the Milton Comprehensive Secondary School in Bo. In one year he teamed up with Abdulai Jalloh, who later played for Real Republicans, to form one of the best high school teams in the Southern province.

I think the young man is right. Foday Bodywork moved over to Freetown and played for East End Lions. It could be that he continued his education at Ahmadiyya.

Ibrahim Jallloh was one of the best midfield players I had seen, just like Mohamed Sama of Ports Authority. These guys were great and if they had been younger and operating today would have been bought by foreign teams.

Bo had very good sportsmen. Marconi Turay was not only a star goalkeeper. He was the national high jump record holder and even participated in the Olympic Games.

Louis French, popularly known as Kendayka , was not only an SLPP thug and mob boss but a great defensive player for Ahmadiyya and Bo District X1.

In our days, the athletic rivalry was between Boima and Sebleh Smith . On the female side, we had Mimi Johnson, the Sprint Queen and Rebecca Walsh. All these individuals would have made it internationally , if they had been in action today.

There was also Amidu Bio of Bo School. Interestingly, Bio played tennis soccer ball with us at the Kortugbuma Field and I want to believe Masada Bio was one of our ball boys.

Interesting analysis. But Dizzo (Abu Bakar Kamara) never attended Bo School. He went to St. Andrews (UCC). He is now retired and is living in Bo. I ran into last year. Also, the late Borbor Mansaray, the great central defender, later transferred to CKC from Bo School. He was as good in the classroom as he was on the field. He went on to get a degree in geography at Fourah Bay College. I also believe that he played briefly for the national team.

I remember seeing you briefly at St. Francis primary school. Did you transfer to another primary school before entering CKC? You were a couple of classes ahead of me. Your classmates at CKC were, Ambrose Yorpoi, the sprinter, Medo, also a sprinter, the late Sigismond Massaquoi, Pios Foray, etc.

Bo School had just a slight edge over us in soccer and that was partly because Father Lambe's rigid admissions requirement was a little too much for many athletes. But CKC often held their own in football.

An epic soccer clash between CKC and Bo School that I can still remember took place when I was still in primary school. You were already at CKC. CKC's goalkeeper was Charles Moiwo, the Kono guy, and there were Daniel Demby, the captain, Joseph Belewa, Hudroodge, Pabai, Fahnbulleh, the Liberian, Jaffar, Yayah Nabi (Enjoy) and other names that I cannot remember. The games master was Aloysius Joe Jackson who later became a politician.

A week before the clash, Moiwo, the goalkeeper, sustained a leg injury. Bo School heard about the injury and took advantage of it by striking the ball in the direction of the injured leg. They won 1-0.

You also mentioned Charles Margai, the politician. But he was CKC's goalkeeper when you and I were still in primary school. A good goalkeeper he was.

Maada Bio is the cousin of the Bios at Coronation field. Yes the Bios look alike but Maada was a kid during our days at CKC.

@ DMK, Kabs Kanu may not be SLPP but I believe that secretly he may be rooting for KKY over JMB. Kabs is a CKC man through and through.

Thanks for your interesting analysis, especially naming the members of the 1968 team that lost that epic match to Bo School, our bitter rivals.

My father was being transferred to and fro between Freetown and Bo. I attended the St. Edwards Primary School in Freetown under the legendary headmaster , Mr Sechi, in the early 60s . Some of my favourite classmates were Nicholas Momoh, Henry Moore, Umaru Musa, Alimamy Conteh etc ; then the St. Francis Primary School where the great Pa M.K. Foray was the headmaster. There, I met Pios Foray , the youngest Yanni brother, A.G, the Sahyouns , Joseph Panda , John Beckley etc. You know them, I am sure. When next we were transferred to Bo , I attended the Sierra Leone Church School at Dambara Road, where another great man, C.L. Bendu , was headmaster. Notable among my schoolmates were Andrew Keili, whose father, Rev. Keili was pastor of the parish and his mother taught me; the Huggins twins, Samuel James, Nimrod Thomas, Raymond Conteh, Sheka Kamara,Mohamed Wai , the Fewry brothers, Minkailu Jah , the present Second Lady Jonta Foh and her siblings Samuel Johnson, Raymond Johnson , Lydia Johnson and Evelyn Johnson etc etc,some of these guys I am sure you knew well, if you grew up in Bo. I want you to be nostalgic.

It was from SLC that I went to CKC in 1966 , to answer your question. My classmates were the children of the famous politicians of the day : Albert Margai jr ( His brothers Samuel and Milton Tintin joined us the following year ); Wurie Kai-Samba, Foday Kai, Demby, Borbor Songa, Michael Juana, Pios Foray, Bongay, and other popular students like Felix Risk, Sigismond Massaquoi, Sony Gaye, Karam Karam, Sassin Nicholas, Joseph Ngaojia, Patrick Kargobai, Augustine Braima , Augustine Samura, the footballer who joined us from the North; Joseph Lewis, Segun Adetungi, etc. You knew all of them.

Our goalkeeper was Dennis Moiwo from Kono and before him was Francis Wilson--I wonder where he is now--and his brother Albert Wilson also manned the goal for us.

That 1968 game was one of the best I had seen. It did not look like a school match and the public got involved. The traders and street peddlers took sides. I understood that most of the traders at the Bo Market and the lorry park drivers supported CKC because of our red jerseys, just like the traders in Freetown support East End Lions for the same reason. Many support Bo School because they were muslims and did not want to have something to do with a catholic school.

KL, Mojo the ever stylish Valderama-type footballer who used to make our girls go ga-ga was a student of Muslim Congress, he never attended Ahmadiyya. Mojo used to live around Samuel's lane in Kissy and was a neighbour of the twins Alhassan and Alusine and a guy called Ortaim who later became Ortaim Brown while playing for Wusum Stars.In fact Mojo's brother was one Dr.Kamara the husband of Tina who later eloped with SAJ Musa during the NPRC era. Also playing for Ahmadiyya were guys like Abdul Cole of Lions and Amadu Rappel of Republicans. Among the girls, the intersec rivalry used to be between Kadiatu I. Kamara or KIK of Ahmadiyya and Unice of St.Helena.

And Randall I can bet Foday Body Work and Bo School played for Ahmadiyya. I can still remember once there was a match between Ahmadiyya and Independence on a bright summer Saturday afternoon. Foday scored two fast goals much to the anger and frutration of Independence. The Independence studenst were so frustrated that their thugs resorted to mob action and disrupted the match. There was a pandemonium. Students were running helter-skelter with the sensible group seeking refuge in the Ahmadiyya campus. Some of the Ahmadiyya boys who tried to brave the situation or tried to be heroes ended up losing ear lobes due to knifing action perpetrated by the independence thugs.

You may be right about Bo School (Alusine) and Foday Bodywork playing for Ahmadiyya. We are all older now and the mind is no longer as sharp as it used to be. I can only remember Bo School joining East End Lions after leaving Bo School.

Can you please contribute to the discussions on the rivalry between these two great schools? You were in Bo School and you were part of it. Your younger brother who was my classmate attended both schools.

Ahmadiya Bo was always the victim of outright condescension and derision. Football matches between Bo School and Ahmadiya will always be accompanied by chants of "Shenge", the din and commotion being accentuated by the vibrating old rickety platforms cum stands at Bo Coronation Grounds. "Shenge" is one of the bargain markets in Bo Town.

The football chants were alluding that Ahmadiya could only afford to shop at Shenge or their parents are "Jongs" sellers. At the time i took it as mere school banter but in hindsight i want to believe it was wrong.

Bimbola you are right Mojo was indeed a student of Muslim Congress. That was during or just after guys like Alieu Iscandari and Viva Tex. Because I was never a football fanatic I kind of mix things up. I was at Ahmadiyya during the Iqbal and Kojo Bassie days.

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